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A modifier locus affecting the expression of the S-RNase gene could be the cause of breakdown of self-incompatibility in almond

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Abstract

Self-compatibility has become the primary objective of most almond (Prunus amygdalus Batsch) breeding programmes in order to avoid the problems related to the gametophytic self-incompatibility system present in almond. The progeny of the cross ‘Vivot’ (S 23 S fa) × ‘Blanquerna’ (S 8 S fi) was studied because both cultivars share the same S f allele but have a different phenotypic expression: active (S fa) in ‘Vivot’ and inactive (S fi) in ‘Blanquerna’. In addition, the microscopic observation of pollen tube growth after self-pollination over several years showed an unexpected self-incompatible behaviour in most seedlings of this cross. The genotypes of this progeny showed that the S fi pollen from ‘Blanquerna’ was not able to grow down the pistils of ‘Vivot’ harbouring the S fa allele, confirming the active function of this allele against the inactive form of the same allele, S fi. As self-compatibility was observed in some S 8 S 23 and S 8 S fa individuals of this progeny, the S f haplotype may not always be linked to the expression and transmission of self-compatibility in almond, suggesting that a modifier locus may be involved in the mechanism of self-incompatibility in plants.

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Acknowledgments

This research was conducted under the Spanish CICYT project AGL2007-65853-C0202 and the activity of the Research Group A12 of Aragón. A. Fernández i Martí acknowledges the scholarship co-funded by the Spanish “Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia” and the European Social Fund (FSE), under projects AGL 2004-06674-C02-01 and BES-2006-12621.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unidad de Fruticultura, Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón (CITA), Av. Montañana 930, 50059, Zaragoza, Spain

    Angel Fernández i Martí, José M. Alonso & Rafel Socias i Company

  2. Laboratory of Pomology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan

    Toshio Hanada, Hisayo Yamane & Ryutaro Tao

Authors
  1. Angel Fernández i Martí
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  2. Toshio Hanada
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  3. José M. Alonso
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  4. Hisayo Yamane
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  5. Ryutaro Tao
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  6. Rafel Socias i Company
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Correspondence to Rafel Socias i Company.

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Communicated by Teh-hui Kao.

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Fernández i Martí, A., Hanada, T., Alonso, J.M. et al. A modifier locus affecting the expression of the S-RNase gene could be the cause of breakdown of self-incompatibility in almond. Sex Plant Reprod 22, 179–186 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00497-009-0102-7

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